Waste rubber recycling

In the 1980s, researchers in the former Soviet Union led by Professor Isayev studied and developed the technology. The principle is to use ultrasonic energy to destroy the cross-linking network composed of sulfur bonds in the waste rubber, and to break the sulfur bond in the waste rubber, thereby achieving desulfurization. The advantage of this desulfurization process is that it eliminates the use of solvents, softeners, regenerants, and eliminates the use of steam. The ultrasonic desulfurization device is shown in the figure. The main body of the equipment is an energy converter (corresponding to a desulfurization tank). The desulfurization process of the waste rubber there can be roughly divided into two stages:

1) The rubber powder enters through the hopper and is mixed in the screw squeezing machine;

2) The ultrasonic wave is generated by the flute-shaped ultrasonic generator, and enters the energy converter to complete the desulfurization.

Ultrasonic desulfurization of waste rubber can effectively reduce the crosslink density and gel formation. It has also been found that increasing the vibrational energy also helps to increase the degree of desulfurization.